Beratha wins Bali election to retain post

I Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar, Bali

Incumbent Bali Governor Dewa Made Beratha won a second five-year term in the gubernatorial election here on Wednesday, thanks to President Megawati Soekarnoputri's support.

He garnered 31 of the 55 votes, defeating Golkar's wealthy businessman Putu Gde Ary Sutha, who unexpectedly pocketed only four votes.

Former Gianyar regent Tjokorda Budi Suryaman, who was nominated by the coalition faction of Kebangsaan Indonesia, grabbed 20 votes.

"I thank God for this victory," said soft-spoken Beratha, who was backed by Megawati's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan).

His landslide victory proved that Megawati's influence on PDI Perjuangan councillors in Bali, one of the party's strongholds, remained effective, despite growing discontent against her leadership.

Prior to the election, Megawati had issued an order for the councillors to vote for Beratha or risk dismissal from the party.

However, at least eight of the 39 PDI Perjuangan councillors defied Megawati's order and instead cast votes for Beratha's rivals as the incumbent governor only won 31 votes.

Bali PDI Perjuangan spokesman Wayan Sutena put the number of the party's defectors at around 10.

He, PDI Perjuangan faction chairman Usdek Maharipa and leader of the party's provincial chapter I.B. Wesnawa declined to identify the defectors, nor did they disclose disciplinary sanctions against them.

"We are still in a celebratory mood and the political tension is still there. Let things cool down first before we talk about the matter," Wesnawa said.

The Megawati-led PDI Perjuangan central board has drawn fire from her supporters in regions and analysts for taking unpopular moves to fire party executives who refused to vote for her gubernatorial candidates, including those in Jakarta, Central Java and Lampung.

Surprisingly, Suryaman managed to get 20 votes in the election by the Bali legislative council, despite the fact that the faction in support of him comprised only five members.

His additional votes were supposed to be from some PDI Perjuangan defectors and six councillors with the military-police faction, as well as one Golkar member who shunned giving support to Ari Suta.

Local political analysts and media pundits had predicted that a lot of PDI Perjuangan councillors would support Ary Sutha in defiance of Megawati's order.

The instruction had forced leading PDI Perjuangan cadre Cok Ratmadi to withdraw his gubernatorial bid, despite the fact his move had been backed by party faithful.

Since Ratmadi's withdrawal, the threat of massive defection by PDI Perjuangan councillors had plagued Beratha's camp. However, the threat did not materialize on election day.

The victory owed a lot to various last minute efforts that Beratha's camp had launched to mend a simmering rift between his supporters and Ratmadi's.

For instance, in a hastily arranged meeting, Beratha met the PDI Perjuangan councillors and gave his commitment to help the party win the 2004 general elections. He also made a homage visit to Ratmadi.

Moreover, two days before the election, the party quarantined all of its 39 councillors at the isolated Bali Cliff resort, forbidding them from making any phone contact with those outside the hotel and asking them to make written affidavits on their commitment to support Beratha.